(1) Field of the Inventions
The present inventions relate generally to apparel and, more particularly, to a bottom garment adapted to provide improved tummy support and appearance for the wearer.
(2) Related Art
Individuals diet and exercise in an attempt to shape their bodies. Most wearers find they cannot shape their bodies as desired only by diet and exercise. For many years the fashion industry has developed foundation garments for women worn underneath clothing, for example girdles and panty hosiery. Unfortunately, layers of foundation garments with other clothing can be uncomfortable and also unsightly with some styles of clothing (e.g., those using stretch fabrics).
There has been some effort to produce clothing with built-in foundation garments. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,068,871 to R. Rapp illustrates toreador pants with a built-in panty that merely squeezes and holds in portions of the stomach. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,896 to Puliafico; U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,947 to Bergstein; U.S. Pat. No. 3,246,342 to Pagano; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,448 to Thompson describes slacks with built-in girdles that also merely hold in the stomach.
Jeans composed of denim and blends with elastic fibers have been popular sellers because of their comfort and improved styling. However, due to the stretch nature of the material, foundation garments used to offset profile changes are not usually suitable because their outline typically shows through the stretched fabric creating an unappealing affect.
There also has been some effort to produce clothing having a similar function without foundation garment structures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,451 to Tassone et al, describes a pants garment wherein the legs are narrowed to squeeze the thighs of a wearer in an effort to urge the buttocks upward. This construction may be uncomfortable and ill-suited for some wearers and provides only marginal benefit in enhancing the user's profile.
Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved bottom garment which provides improved tummy support and appearance to the wearer while, at the same time, provides a level of comfort similar to conventional garments.